Polls close in Bosnia in race where pro-Russia politician looms large and ethnic tensions simmer

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Polls closed Sunday evening in Bosnia after an election shaped by economic pressures, a youth exodus and concerns over corruption, with some leading politicians stoking ethnic tensions that have divided the country since its brutal 1992-95 conflict.Around 3.4 million voters are choosing the three members of the country's multi-ethnic presidency, lawmakers for the national parliament, and heads of institutions for the country's two entities: the Muslim-majority Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Republika Srpska, which is dominated by ethnic Serbs.Bosnia has a complex web of governing institutions that were created by a U.S.-brokered peace agreement in 1995 in an effort to manage the ethnic divisions between Muslim Bosniaks, Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats that gave rise to the war.On Sunday morning, Associated Press journalists reported seeing multiple polling places where voting couldn't begin on time because of difficulties with new digital voting technology, a measure introduced to address earlier concerns over vote tampering.Bosnia's Central Election Commission said that voting would be prolonged beyond the 7 p.m. cutoff at polling stations that had experienced delays because of technical issues.Around 27% of voters cast their ballots by 3 p.m., the commission said, a marked decrease from 35% at the same time during Bosnia's last national election four years ago.Pro-Russia Dodik wields influence despite not being on ballotTaking center stage in Sunday's contest is a staunchly pro-Russia politician who, despite not appearing on the ballot, has dominated the campaign and inflamed divisions that have sparked fears of renewed instability.Milorad Dodik, the separatist and nationalist former president of the Serb-majority Republika Srpska, has been banned from holding public office after being convicted of defying decisions by the international envoy overseeing the 1995 peace agreement.Dodik has just returned from a trip to Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. His party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, is likely to win the election in Republika Srpska.At his party's final election rally Friday night in Banja Luka, Republika Srpska's administrative capital, Dodik told supporters that Bosnia “is dead.”“It is an impossible country.

It doesn’t make any sense,” Dodik said at the rally, … SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Voters in Bosnia cast ballots Sunday in a general election in which most are focused on everyday problems, while some mainstream politicians in the Balkan nation have whipped up war-era tensions that have kept the country divided since its brutal 1992-95 conflict.Around 3.4 million voters are choosing the three members of the country's multi-ethnic presidency, lawmakers for the national Parliament, and heads of institutions for the country's two entities: the Muslim-majority Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Republika Srpska, which is dominated by ethnic Serbs.Bosnia has a complex web of governing institutions that were created by a U.S.-brokered peace agreement in 1995 in an effort to manage the ethnic divisions between Muslim Bosniaks, Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats that gave rise to the war.On Sunday morning, Associated Press journalists reported seeing multiple polling places where voting could not begin on time due to difficulties with new digital voting technology, a measure introduced to address earlier concerns over vote tampering.Bosnia's Central Election Commission said that voting would be prolonged beyond the 7 p.m. It doesn’t make any sense,” Dodik said …